SENSITIZATION WORKSHOP ON DATA PROTECTION HELD FOR ETHICS COMMITTEES

The Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID) held a workshop for Chairpersons of UG Ethics Committees, Research Development Officers, and a representative of the UG Risk Management Unit to acquaint them with the Data Protection Act 2012 (843).

The Data Protection Act of 2012 (Act 843) enjoins all public and private institutions in Ghana to register with the Data Protection Commission. The University of Ghana successfully registered with the Commission in December 2020.

Consequently, two Data Protection Supervisors (DPS), Mrs. Diana Owusu Antwi and Ms. Helena Baidoo (ORID) were trained to ensure that the University remains compliant with the provisions of the Act. A key component for compliance is to organize workshops to acquaint the University community with relevant portions of the Data Protection Act.

The workshop was held at the West Africa Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) at the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. Mrs. Diana Owusu Antwi, a Senior Research Development Officer at ORID, opened the workshop on behalf of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (RID), and introduced Mr Eric Gbenyo, who is a systems auditor and IT consultant with expertise in cybersecurity and data protection as the facilitator of the workshop.

Mr. Gbenyo outlined key principles of Act 843 in relation to the ethical approval process for research and related activity. In addition, he highlighted the role of a Data Protection Supervisor within an institution, highlighted the policies and procedures required for data protection and accountability. He enumerated the benefits of undertaking Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), as part of the University’s risk assessment mechanism, and urged stakeholders to incorporate governance and compliance mechanisms into UG’s operational processes involving data on research subjects.

Mr Gbenyo stated that risk assessments should be part of the ethical approval process and recommended that Ethics Committees work closely with UG’s Data Protection Supervisors to ensure that all applicable provisions of the Act are complied with.

Participants engaged in an interactive question and answer session and cited practical example of the ethical approval process and potential challenges in applying some provisions of the Act to their work.

Mr Gbenyo urged ethics committees to uphold their oversight role throughout the duration of research activities to ensure that variations in research methodology remain compliant with the provisions of the Act.